Sovereign of the Three Realms

Since the True Spirit Post had never been refined before, Jiang Chen must have learned the spear method during the sixty hours he was given.

Mad Fiend had been derisive of Jiang Chen at first, even going so far as to not even want to look at the young man. However, the brief exchange made him realize that the challenger hadn't been joking. He had indeed spent the last few days refining the weapon and grasping the martial method.

The Searing Sundrake Spear was quite extraordinary. Mad Fiend's golden staff was known for its dominating and ruthless power; it struck with such ferocious momentum that the enemies were rendered helpless. However, Jiang Chen's spear came out on even ground in the head-on clash with Mad Fiend's staff, even gaining a slight edge over it. How could the old man not be shocked?

In the ancient times, he'd been well known for his melee fighting skills. Close-quarters combat was his favorite form of battle. He was thus nicknamed the Mad Melee Fighter. Now however, he wasn't able to fight with the same aplomb as he'd once had.

He brandished his golden staff like a furious temple door god. With a twist of his wrist, a shockwave of golden light radiated from the staff. His every hit was as heavy as a towering mountain.

To his surprise, Jiang Chen gave as good as he got. He wielded the True Spirit Post with the ease and impetus of a beast roaming through its natural territory. Every move he made was powerful, preventing Mad Fiend from gaining the upper hand.

The old man was shocked. At first, he had thought it was impossible for Jiang Chen to go head-to-head with him. He believed the young man had at most learned a few tricks and would start to falter after a few rounds.

Sadly, he was woefully mistaken.

Jiang Chen didn't seem like he'd run out of tricks to use, and he used the techniques with an ease that shouldn't be possible for someone who'd just learned them.

Is he a genius handpicked by the heaven? It's only been a few days. How is it possible for him to reach such heights with his martial method?

Mad Fiend could barely believe his eyes. However, nothing excited him more than a formidable foe.

His attacks grew more and more ferocious as he shouted and growled. Jiang Chen fought back in kind, his spear unstoppable.

No matter how much harder Mad Fiend fought, Jiang Chen always held his ground, his presence strong even in comparison to the old man's.

If there had been any witnesses, they wouldn't have been able to tear their eyes away from the stunning fight.. Normally, expert cultivators fought with skills. The more powerful they were, the more exciting the fight.

Straightforward blow for blow combat was considered less impressive, but it was most representative of one's ability, including their understanding of martial dao, mastery of martial methods, control over the fight, and sensitivity to the key to victory.

What made Jiang Chen a genius was his ability to learn quickly. Where others might stumble or get stuck, he breezed through with ease.

A day passed. Then two, then three...

Three days into the epic fight, Mad Fiend was still vigorous and showed no signs of exhaustion.

He'd thought the young man would run out of stamina after a day or two, and that he'd win automatically, but Jiang Chen surprised him again.

The young man didn't seem at all tired, either.

"What a strange fellow he is." Mad Fiend fumed. Plenty of young geniuses had entered the Six Palaces of Heritage since the ancient times. Some had been able to reach the fourth palace, and Mad Fiend had challenged every one of them to a close-quarters duel.

After all, one often found themselves fighting at close distance with demons in the ancient war. When surrounded by an army of demons, melee fighting skills were imperative for survival.

"Your staff is powerful, senior, but you must be able to tell as well that it's impossible for you to defeat me. On the other hand, if I train my spear method for three to five more months, I'll absolutely be able to beat you. Do you agree?"

Jiang Chen spoke up since Mad Fiend didn't seem intend to give up. He didn't want to waste his time here. Neither side was going to win anytime soon.

"Beat me?" Mad Fiend cracked a ferocious grin. "Then let's fight for another three to five months and see if you get better."

The old man was crazy. Jiang Chen didn't have the time to waste on this fight. Moreover, repeated practice of moves wasn't enough to improve one's martial method. It was also important to explore and meditate on the method.

"If that's what you want, I won't hold back anymore, senior."

It was true that Jiang Chen wouldn't be able to defeat Mad Fiend anytime soon with only his spear, but he also had the Holy Dragon Bow and the golden bell.

The bell especially had been difficult enough for the old man to deal with on its own. Paired with Jiang Chen's spear method, the two became greater than their sum.

"Hey! Didn't we agree on fighting with only our weapons? Why did you use the damn bell again? Damn you!" Mad Fiend cried out in protest. He wanted to have a grand fight for a few more months.

"You're no fun, kid. Entertainment like you doesn't come by often. Can't you let me have a good fight?"

Jiang Chen chuckled. "I'll gladly fight you for months or even years if things were different, but I can't afford to waste too much time in the Six Palaces under the circumstances."

"You don't have the time? Can it be that the demons have risen again?" Mad Fiend darted his eyes around, his expression turning icy. The mention of demons triggered a shift in his emotions.

"The seal on the demons is deteriorating, and the protections laid down in the ancient times will fall apart soon. Any surviving demons will then rise again. What's worse, the human race has no means to resist them. They'll be unstoppable."

Mad Fiend unconsciously slowed down his attacks in response.